Signal



May 20, 1930. v F. TRAUT AN 1,759,247

S-IGNAL I Filed July 1, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet l A itorney May 20, 1930. F. TRAUTMAN 1,759,247

SIGNAL Filed, July 1, 1929 4 sneets sh'eet 2 I Attorney May 20, 1930.

-F. TRAUTMAN SIGNAL Filed July 1, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 In ven for firc/fi/k'i Zkfl/TMAM Patentecl May 20.1930 i I I I it UNITED. STATES PATENT tors-ice l f FREDERICK TRA'UTM'AN, F. FREEPORT,"-ITEWYORK SIGNAL Application filed July 1, 1929. Serial No. 375,071.

' This invention appertains to new and usebody preferably the post between'the front ful improvements in the art known as'sigand rear doors on the leftsideofthe vehicle. nals andindicators, and more particularly to The post is provided with -abore16--exanovehmanually operable signal of the sematending therethrough and in registry with 5 phore vtype especially adapted for use on the boreo6 is a tubular bracket 7 havin'ge6e motor vehicles. flanges 8 ,atits ends. One end ojfthe bracket The principal object of this invention is is secured to the outer side-of the post 5, While to provide 7 a signal of the character mentheflange at the outer end of thebracketfis tioned which in use will befarj more effecsecuredto the elongated signalhousing 9 'tive and appealing than signal-devices now in adjacent itslower end. I

v use upon vehicles. The housing 9'has a downwardly. curved Another important object ofthe invention and seated upper end 10 while its lower end is to provide automatic meansfor illuminat and outermost sideare open. :The rear side ing the signal at night. i j of the housing is provided with an opening These and numerous other important ob- 11 and rim 12 secured tothe hou singlaround jects and advantages ofth'e inventi'on will the said openingll forvsecuring a translubecome more apparent to the readenafter cent pane 13 overthe said opening ll. An 7 considering the invention as described and electricbulb 14 is mounted within the upper claimedhereinafter. V portion of the housing for connectionitogthe In the drawings: socket member 15. I Figure 1 represents a rear elevation of a An elongated tube 16 extends'through an conventional motor vehicle equipped with the opening in the post 5 at a point above the ffloor novel-signal. p 6 and protrudes outwardlybeyond the outer 25 Figure 2 represents, a rear side elevation of sideof thepost in the manner clearlyshown V the signal with the semaphore in extended in Figure 3. The'outer endof'theltubeis position. I connected to the housing adjacent its upper Figure 3 representsafragmentary sectionend as at 17. An opening 18 in 1the portion al view showing the signal housing in longiof the tube projecting beyond the ontfsideof tudinal section to disclose the semaphore in the post 5fhas the "conductor {19 extending retracted position. g'from the so'cket'15 trained therethrough ,and

Figure 3 represents a vertical sectional through-the tube 6. ,The.conductorj9 isfled view taken through the pushrod to disclose through theinnerend ofthe'tube L16. and,. is the automatic switch means for illuminating protectefdiby an insulating.v collar 20.

T the signal at night. A bolt 21'is disposed horiZOntally through Figure 4 represents a side elevation on the .the lower POItiOILOf the. housingv 9,;the head outer side thereof, the same being in partial 22;.thereof being ,adaptedito engageone side section to disclose the bullsey'e. ofjhe .housing while .a nut 23 .threade'dly Figure5 represents a fragmentary vertical engaged on .thebolt isa'dapted to, bearagainst sectional view disclosing the semaphore in the -opposite side ofthe lhousing; 'Thebolt extended position. .is'free to. rotate andhas, a plurality o'f fingers Figure 6 represents an end elevation of a 24 connecte'dtheretorigidlyjinthe manner as motor vehicle partly broken away to disclose shown'in Figured. Each. of the'fingersis the construction of a slightly modified forin generally constructed ,to,simulate ;a. hi1man V of the invention. 1 I I linger: (includingthe simulation of theQfinger Figure 7 represents aside. elevation of a nail) .and each finger .is'provided withI-an" motor bus equipped with the modified form opening at-its .innerend-for.receiving the of the invention disclosed in Figure 6. bolt 21-, while collars 25 '.firmly secure the Referring to the drawings, wherein like [fin ers to .t-he bolt, so that thefingers will numerals designate like parts it will be seen sw ng withrthesame. that 5 denotes a portion of the automobile Each of the fingers is provided with 9; lug

'7 26 at its pivoted end and these lugs are .so

.. 32 is slidably disposed, through the core 6.

' posed position. See Figure 3.

springcontact arm projects downwardly therefrom. The spring contact arm I 40" tive material denoted bynumeral 43 mounted therein and in connection with the contact Y arranged in oifse't relation when the fingers are in retracted position (see Fig. A stop. pin 27 is arranged horizontally within the lower' portion of the housing 9 and against this pin the lug 26 may abut and the fingers 24 will assume the oifset position shown clearly in Figure 5 after they have 7 been projected to that position by the action of the spring 28, The spring 28 is convoluted on the bolt21 and has one end'2 9 bearing against the fingers, while its opposlte end 30 impinges against the innerwall' ofthe h0usg. p a 1A bellcrank 31 is secured to thebolt 21 and moves co-ordinately with the adjacent finger of the group, An elongated pushrod and tubular bracket 7 in'the-manner clearly shown in Figure 3. i

I At the inner side of the post 5, the pushrod is guided through a collar 33 and a nut 34 is mounted thereon. The inner end ofthe pushrod 32 is provided with a knob 35, while the outer end of the pushrod has a down- .wardly disposed hook 36 for engagement ,with the bellcrank'31. A compressible coiled spring 37 is interposed between the knob 35 and the collar 33 and serves to normally .maintain the pushrod in an inwardly dis- A sleeve 38 of suitable insulating ma- 7 terial is arranged on the coiled spring 37 'in the manner shown clearly in Figure 3. A "block 39'of suitable di-electric material is se-t cured-tothe inner side of the. post 5 and a spacedly overlaps a second contact 41, which projects upwardly from a switchboX 42. The

switchbox 42 has a flexible arm of conduc- 41, .while a stationary contact 44 is also "mountedwithinthe ,SWltOllbOX and is to be engaged by the contact 43 when the latter is is shown in Figures 6 -and 7, wherein a box 46 is shown provided with a hand lever 47 (any suitable rack and detent if desired) which has a fiexibleelement 48 connected to the lower end thereof and trained over the pulleys 49 and 50. The flexible element. 48 is also trained over a pulley 51 at the rear end of the vehicle and extends upwardly to connect to one end of an L-shaped rocker arm 52" r supported by the bracket 53. The free end of the rockenarm'52 is adapted to engage the same outwardly so that the semaphore fing It will thus be seen that the present invention presents numerous important fea- V tures of novelty which characterize this aforementioned knob 35 for projecting the 'ers will assume the extended position shown.

invention as being more efficient and satisfactory in use than devices of this nature hereto used. v

While the foregoing description has been in specific terms, it is to be understoodth at numerous changes may be resorted to in the shape, size and materials without departing" from the spirit and scopeof the invention as 590 claimedhereinafter.

Having thus described my invention, what 7 I claim. as new is: V .1 V

A signal for motor vehicles comprising a semaphore adapted to be mounted at the outer. sideof the vehicle body, a pushrod slidably disposed through the side of the yehicle'for actuating the semaphore, spring 7 means on the pushrod for normallymaintaining the semaphore in retracted position,

a manually operable lever, a rocker arm, one

FREDERICK TRAUTMAN. i

actuated by the control 45 A cable 46 leads V to a'suitable current supply source, while the conductor 19 is connected to the aforementioned spring arm 40. n

1 It will thus be seen that when the knob 35 @is pressed so as to release the hook 36 from V the bellcrank 31, the action ofthe spring 28- will project the fingers 24 outwardlyfso that they will-assume the position shown inlFigure 5. Simultaneously with this function,

E 44 in the switchbox current will be supplied the. engagement of the knob 35 against the sleeve38 with some degree of pressure, will 40 with the contact 41, and if the spring con- ,result in thecontacting of the spring arm j tact 43 is'engaged with the stationary contact V t 8 through the conductor 19 to the bulb 14, thus 'projecting a light onto the signal element.

l A slightly modified formv of the invention H 

